Chapter 188

Lucianne’s eyes met her brother's, and she declared, “Betrayal.”

The room started to simmer down. Lucianne knew that word better

than anyone else there. Every bond-snap before she met Xandar was

excruciating. She felt the anguish from the rejections and the betrayal

from two of her past mates. She also felt betrayed by the Moon

Goddess, who was not supposed to hurt her if she didn’t do anything

wrong, and who was not supposed to bond her to creatures who would

hurt her. On many nights, she wished that she would just wake up

dead. It was no secret that it took her many weeks and even months

before she started being okay again. 1

Every creature in the room was really listening now. Lucianne went on,

“Torture and death are merely a consequence of betrayal. W e punish

criminals because they betrayed the system and its people. We take

care of creatures who display loyalty to defend the system and the

people in it.”

With suppressed anger, Christian noted, "Greg doesn't fit into the

second category, my Queen’

“Are you saying he fits perfectly well into the first, Christian?” Lucianne

asked

Like Xandar, Christian averted his eyes from her because he couldn't

deny that Greg had been helping them. After taking a deep breath, he

stared at the table and asked, “So, what do we do? What should we put

in the monarchy’'s recommendation?”

Lucianne's voice tumed soft and doubtful when she uttered, “I don't

know. But there's no way he should be let-off scot free.”

Toby then suggested, “Lower prison sentence? Maybe lighter

punishments, too? You know, less whipping compared to the rest?”

“We could also strip him of his dukedom.” Xandar said, and when all

eyes fell on him, he only locked his onyx orbs on his mate and

explained, “No royal member in history has ever had their title stripped

from them. The punishment is severe enough to make up for what he

did.”

“And what's the balancing factor?” Lucianne asked

Xandar responded, “Lower sentencing?”

“How low?” Lucianne’s eyes burned into his when she detected that he

had no intention to balance things out.

Xandar breathed heavily in jealousy before his murderous onyx eyes

fixed on Lucianne as he asked in a slow, low voice, “Why are you

defending him?”

Registering his jealousy, Lucianne emitted a low, angered growl and

declared, “Because it's what's right. He helped us. Throwing him under

the bus does NOT serve the Kingdom in the long-run. If you even

THINK that I'm doing this because I am in love with him, I'd suggest

you check the mark on your neck AND mine, your Highness.”

His hand immediately moved to gently push her hair to the back, and

his fingers traced the mark he made on the most beautiful and amazing

creature in the Kingdom. She was his. Only his. The sight calmed him,

and the sensation he made on her skin calmed

her

Between his calamity, he felt something else. Hurt. But that wasn't his

emotion. When his partially lilac eyes returned to Lucianne's teary orbs,

she spoke in a whisper, “How could you not trust me to stay with you?

How could you even think that I would want someone else? We've

marked each other. Should I be worried that you would want someone

else despite what I did on your neck?”

He instantly pressed her into his chest and uttered, “No. Never. There'll

only ever be you.” After planting a deep kiss on her hairline, he

muttered, “I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry.” Her hurt cut right through him,

and his animal was having a hard time coping with their mate's pain

knowing that they were the ones who caused it.

After a few quiet, awkward moments, Annie's voice rang through the

room, “Stripping the dukedom may be taking it too far” Her statement

even made her own mate surprised, Annie went on to say, “It's like Lucy

said. He helped us. He did a lot of unforgivable things in the past but

what he has been doing recently...changes things. The severity of our

recommendation should probably weigh in how sorry he feels about

everything he did.

Christian pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke to his Duchess as

gently as he could to avoid starting a scene like his cousin,” How are we

supposed to assess how sorty one is, Annie? There's no scale for that.”

Annie then challenged her husband, “Do you mean there's no scale, or

that you don't want to believe that there is one?”

That hit Christian Like Xandar, he didn't want anything but the worst for

Greg, The Duke sighed, and pecked a kiss on his Duchess's temple

before reluctantly asking, “What's the scale?”

Annie answered without hesitation, “His demeanor. By watching the

way Greg speaks about everything he has done, we'll be able t 0 know

if he's being sincere, or if this is just a tactical move.” She locked eyes

with Lucianne, and suggested, “Maybe you should

talk to him, Lucy.”

“NO F*CKING WAY!" Xandar exclaimed, and instinctively wrapped

Lucianne even tighter in his chest, like someone would snatch her away

if he didn't hold her close enough.

Lucianne’s rage returned when she tried to loosen his grip as she asked

her mate, “Why?! Because I'll leave you once I see him?!"

Christian answered before his cousin could, “Because there are other

people who can do that, my Queen!”

“Like who?!” Annie challenged

Christian responded to his wife in haste, “ME! AND HIM!" He motioned

at Xandar.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Toby muttered to himself, “That plan is

doomed to failure.”

“I have the King's Authority, Toby. I can make him answer anything I

want.” Xandar declared.

Juan spoke, “That's the problem, Xandar.” When all eyes were on the

Alpha, Juan explained, “Assuming that the King's Authority is like the

Alpha's Authority, emotions are a key element in emitting and

maneuvering the power. Given how much you loathe that other Duke,

your anger may suppress any apologetic statement that Greg Claw may

make.”

Xandar looked at Juan in disbelief and asked, “You're taking my cousin's

side over your sister's? After everything that he’s done to her?”

“I'm on my sister's side. And from whatever we've leamed from this,” he

lifted up the report before placing it back on the table and said, “I'd say

the only thing he did to Lucy of his own accord was piss her off in the

dining hall and on the training ground. Although I was pushing for him

to be punished because he gave Sasha Cummings access to the rogues,

Lucy has convinced me that...Cummings may have been able to find an

alternative way to contact them. And Greg's intentions seemed to have

changed later on, especially when this report said that he attacked

Helena Tanner in her own house after the Oleander blade she ordered

hurt Lucy, albeit unintentionally.”

When a short moment of silence followed, Juan added, “This in no way

makes me forgive him for his involvement in the Jewel . Pack attack. All

I'm saying is that a balanced indictment is...fair. And to see how far we

should tip the scale in his favor, we should see whether he'll return to

his old ways if and when he is released from prison.”

“And you propose that your sister be the one to talk to him?” Xandar

asked in dissatisfaction

Juan uttered, “Yes, not just because her emotions would be in check

should she need to use the Queen's Authority but also because your

cousin seems to only want to tell her anything. The computer chip for

the corruption, the location of the founders of Wu Bi Corp...he

addressed the messages to HER.”

“Because...he’s in love with her.” Xandar's onyx eyes were a shade

darker when he said what everyone else was afraid of saying. Everyone

read the report, which had transcripts of recorded conversations in the

Kyltons' residence, and the gossip confirmed Greg's feelings for the

future Queen.

Juan knew that was coming, and before his sister could throw a fit

again, he said, “I'm not going to lie, Xandar. If it were Hale, I may be

reacting much worse than you are right now. But I know Hale wouldn't

love anyone else the way she loves me, so with...probably a lot of

persuasion from her, I would let her see Greg on the condition that I go

with her. I would want to witness the entire exchange with my own eyes

and listen to the way they speak to each other with my own ears. If he

puts a claw out of line, I'll tear him to shreds.”

“That's true.” Hale muttered with a smile by his side.

Xandar's eyes moved to Lucianne, and after staring into her hopeful

orbs and pondering for a long moment, he planted a deep kiss o n her

forehead that sent a shower of sparks through Lucianne’s being before

he repeated Juan's words in a low voice, “If he puts a claw out of line,

I'll tear him to shreds.”